I Love Your Love But I Hate Your Tolerance
Often, we compromise in areas where we shouldn’t because we want to give the benefit of the doubt
“We want to be loving. We can be loving in so many other areas, and yet our tolerance could be the very thing that gives a green light for God’s people to sin. Protecting perpetrators of both spiritual and physical harlotry is not loving.” One thing that really stands out to me while I... Continue Reading
Do Churches Fail the Poor?
It’s a more basic failure to reach out, integrate, and keep them in the pews
“This is the striking story of the last 30 years: Despite the stereotype of religion as something that people “cling to” (to quote a different moment of condescension from this president) in desperate circumstances, actual religious practice has collapsed more quickly among Americans with weaker economic prospects than it has among the college-educated upper class.”... Continue Reading
The Tapestry of Sovereign Grace
In the air conditioned sanctuary on a Sunday morning, theology is precise in theory
“It is not just that all of creation and providence contribute together in totality to the glory of God. It is that these two strands are inseparably tied together. This theological knot, so evident in Scripture, is nevertheless at times hidden from view in our lives—like a tapestry’s beauty on top is so contingent on... Continue Reading
Can Someone Who Believes in Limited Atonement Plead With Sinners?
If you believe that Christ did not die for the entire world what then of proclaiming the gospel?
“A belief in limited atonement does not make you unable to proclaim the gospel directly to every sinner. In fact if taken whole such a doctrine may actually give you more confidence in proclaiming—knowing that His sheep will indeed answer the gospel call.” When we think about what Christ accomplished on the cross we... Continue Reading
In Praise of the Dying Art of Civil Disagreement
Why is civil disagreement so hard? It cannot simply be a matter of dogmatic certainty
“I think the lack of civil disagreement in the classroom is best understood as a function of larger social and political trends. As I have noted on this site before, oppression is now a psychological category. This subverts the crucial moral difference between an actual crime, a speech crime, and (increasingly) a thought crime.” ... Continue Reading
Identity, Ethnicity, Culture, and the Gospel
Personal reflections about identity and ethnicity as a mixed race Christian
“Before my identity was ruined for/in Christ (more on this later), I found a big part of my identity in my ethnicity. I am the only child of a white father and a Puerto Rican mother. When we visited family when I was growing up, I always felt different. I “felt” Puerto Rican around my... Continue Reading
7 Reasons Christians Should STAY On Facebook
Encouragement for ways in which Facebook can be used for Kingdom purposes
We are often grieved when social media becomes the setting for angry or obscene exchanges, but for Christians there are wonderful opportunities to share articles, scripture, anecdotes, stories, and videos that are intended to teach, strengthen, and build up the people who read, watch, or listen to them. When wisely used, Facebook can massively extend... Continue Reading
Clickbait Headlines Are Killing My Soul
Why are they killing us? Because if everything is amazing, then nothing is amazing.
The more clickbait headlines I read, the more I become suspicious of any claims of glory. My heart becomes calloused to beauty and wonder and mystery. The more time I spend wading through the shallows of Facebook, the more I forget about the deeps of the gospel. The Internet has a way of dulling beauty... Continue Reading
Top Men: A Response to Paul Helm
Paul Helm has an interesting piece critiquing the critics of megapastordom.
Third, Paul’s comments are prefaced by his observation that the debate is not taking place because the critics are not engaging the other side. On the contrary, the problem is that the Top Men and their followers have adamantly refused to engage the critics. We have been dismissed, blacklisted and bullied. Paul Helm has... Continue Reading
What Should the Duggar Scandal Teach the Church?
The controversy here is, sadly, yet another reminder to the church of our responsibility to be a witness for justice and righteousness on the issue of sexual abuse.
Sexual abuse is immoral, but it is far more than just sexual. Sexual abuse is an act of violence, in which one leverages power to sexually violate the helpless. The resulting aftermath is not just a guilty conscience awaiting judgment on the part of the perpetrator, but a victim who has been assaulted. Sexual abuse... Continue Reading
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